


Trevelyan Drabbles

by NovemberOcean (Twilighthawke)



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Drabble, Drabble Collection, F/M, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2016-07-24
Packaged: 2018-07-18 12:17:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 3,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7314862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twilighthawke/pseuds/NovemberOcean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>queenoftheprocrastination asked: 19 Cullen x Trevelyan :D<br/>19. “parents meeting when they take their kids to class au “ (switched it up a bit and made it "siblings taking their kid siblings to class au")</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Erica sighed heavily as she parked the car. Harold sat in the passenger’s seat, moodily staring out the window. It was his first day of third grade, and he had been pouting all morning. She regarded her brother over the top of her sunglasses. He looked just like she had on her first day of school. Sometimes it was just scary how much he resembled her. Stifling another sigh, she unbuckled her seat belt.

“Come on, Bean.” Erica opened her car door and stepped out.

“Don’t call me Bean,” Harold muttered as he opened the passenger side door and slid out of his seat. His Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtle backpack dragged on the ground behind him. Erica scooped it up and made to swing it over her shoulder.

“Gah!” Someone behind Erica exclaimed as the backpack hit him in the face.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so—“ Erica began as she turned to face whoever she had just hit, until she got a good look at the man.

Okay, “man” was a bit of an understatement. “Prince charming” seemed a more appropriate term for the specimen in front of her. He was tall and broad shouldered, with a chin that could cut granite. He had a hand to his hair, which was mussed due to the backpack attack.

“I am… so sorry about that,” Erica stuttered letting the backpack fall to the ground.

“Uh, no problem,” the beautiful stranger said, standing up straight. He was also holding a child’s backpack. His was a “Sofia the First” backpack, and it was obviously for the curly-haired little girl behind his leg.

“I’m Erica Trevelyan,” Erica said, holding out her hand for him to shake. “This little bean behind me is Harold.”

“Don’t call me a bean,” Harold grumbled.

“I’m Cullen Rutherford, this is Rosie.” Cullen took Erica’s hand and shook it gently. Rosie ducked further behind Cullen and looked up at Erica with the biggest, bluest eyes she had ever seen. Erica was smitten with the little girl.

“Hi Rosie,” she waved at the little girl and nudged Harold with her knee. “Bean, say hi.”

“Don’t call me bean.” Harold glared up at her and then smiled at Rosie. “Hi,” Harold, ever the little gentleman, he stepped around his sister to take the little girl’s hand. She giggled and wiggled her hand in Harold’s.

“Bean, why don’t you and Rosie go sit next to each other in class,” Erica suggested. Harold led Rosie towards the doors. He didn’t even notice Erica use his hated nickname.

“What a charmer,” Cullen said. Erica looked up at him. ‘He was SO handsome’ Erica thought.

“Takes after his sister,” Erica winked at Cullen and laughed nervously.

Cullen smiled a smile that made her heart stop. He had a sparkling smile, and an adorable scar just above his lip.

“Indeed? Maybe I’ll get the opportunity to see more of the Trevelyan charm up close.” Cullen winked right back at her and her heart did a flip.

The moment was slightly ruined when both nerds realized they were still holding their siblings backpacks. Sheepishly, they started towards the classroom. Side by side.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anon-omis asked: #6!!!!! Your pairing choice.   
> 6\. “H-how long have you been standing there?”

Cullen was nervous. He shouldn’t have been, he wasn’t doing anything to be nervous about. Cassandra had left a file in her apartment, she had a witness in the interrogation room though, so she had tossed Cullen her keys and told him to “fetch”. He had complied with minimal grumbling. Going to Cassandra’s apartment didn’t make him nervous. The fact that it was Erica’s apartment too, was what made him nervous.

He heard movement on the other side of the door, and took a few extra seconds to smooth his impeccable hair before inserting the key in the lock and pushing open the door. Cullen didn’t really sneak into the apartment, but he didn’t exactly stomp around either. When he rounded the corner from the entry hall he froze in his steps.

There was Erica. There was a lot more Erica than he was used to seeing. She was wearing a white tank top, and, and Cullen had to do a double take, a pair of bright pink boxer shorts. She was also jumping around her apartment, cleaning, if Cullen had to guess by the way she was cheerfully throwing clothing and pizza boxes around. Cullen fancied that he could spend hours mapping constellations in the freckles that crossed her shoulders.

To add icing to an already delicious image, she was singing. Loudly. Cullen had been a choir boy, and knew what good singing was supposed to sound like. This was not it. Erica sang like a woman who couldn’t hear herself, and had no audience. Cullen spied the earbuds in her ears so that he guessed at least one of those things was still true.

Erica executed a less than graceful turn that Cullen assumed was part of the music video she was making in her head. She spotted Cullen and her eyes bugged comically out of her head. She ripped out her earbuds unceremoniously. Sheepishly, Cullen waved, trying to pretend he had not been grinning like an idiot a few seconds ago.

“H-how long have you been standing there?” Erica stuttered. She was breathing heavily from her dance choreography, but even without all the jumping around, she would have been turning the same shade of red.

“Not long,” Cullen shrugged, suddenly desperate to find the file and leave before Erica kicked him out. He spotted the offending file on the coffee table. “Cassandra sent me to pick that up?” Cullen pointed and moved to pick it up. He and Erica met half way.

Inches apart, but separated by miles of politeness Cullen eventually leaned past her to scoop up the folder. This close to her, he really  _could_  map constellations across her shoulders. He quelled that thought and muttered something apologetic and escaped out the door.

When he was gone, Erica sat heavily on the coffee table. Her heart hammering harder than the cleaning she had been doing warranted. She suddenly realized she what she was wearing and let out a groan. She would never be able to look him in the eyes ever again. Still, she supposed that made them even for how they had met.

Read how they met [here](http://twilighthawke.tumblr.com/post/114976936192/the-laundromat)! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, this one im not proud of. it reads a lot like something my idol blustersquall wrote for HER apartment au. now she's mote popular than i am, so i dont think its an issue. i'm just throwing that out there.  
> EDIT: its really REALLY similar im almost embarrassed... if i wasnt so in love with blustersquall


	3. Slow Mornings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gagu-kun asked: “I can’t let you do that.”, Cullen x Erica :D

The morning sun filtered through the hole in Cullen’s ceiling. It was that quiet time of morning where the people who are awake don’t want to wake anyone else. One of these people was Erica Trevelyan, who was attempting to sneak out of her lover’s bed.

Cursing quietly, Erica eyed the floor, searching for her pants. Or her shirt, or her breast band, or even her small clothes. Really anything of hers to cover her nakedness. But Cullen had been really thorough in his disrobing of her last night, and Erica didn’t see anything of hers on the floor. She spotted something of hers on the ladder though.

She moved as if to remove herself from the covers when an arm snaked around her middle. His eyes were still closed and Erica was half convinced he was still a half asleep.

“Hey,” she whispered, trying to lull him back to sleep. “Go back to sleep, I’ll see you later.” Cullen opened one eye and smirked at her before pulling her back into bed and rolling on top of her.

“I can’t let you do that,” he growled, hands already starting to wander.

It was several more hours later until she was finally able to extricate herself from his embrace to find her clothing and make her way back to her chambers. Even then she still couldn’t find her breast band, and ended up walking back without it.

Needless to say it was not an item he intended to return to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologize for those of you who thought this was going to end in smut, maybe next time.


	4. Ass-quisitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> eeveevie asked: 22! Cullen x Inquisitor  
> 22\. “I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice.”

“I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice.”

Erica startled from her stupor and stood up straighter.

“What?” Erica tried to divert attention from her blush. “I don’t know what you’re on about Commander.” She used his titled in an attempt to bring a business-like air to the conversation. It wasn’t going to work.

“I can turn around again if you’d like a better look,” Cullen said, one eyebrow raised. He was mocking her. What happened to the shy, Chantry-boy who blushed when she winked at him?

Leliana was smiling and Josephine had taken refuge behind her clipboard. There was a suspicious tittering coming from Josephine’s corner. Erica was beet-red now. Maker preserve her from wandering thoughts and an idle mind.

“I’m sure that won’t be nec-ass-sary,” She said without thinking. She squeezed her eyes shut. Josephine was making little choking noises and Leliana was grinning now. There was no recovering from that little slip. “I’m going to go talk to Dagna about the latest Inquisition assets–” Josephine lost it.

Throughout it all Cullen maintained the same innocent smile. His eyes glittered with mirth as Erica beat a hasty retreat. He’d have to follow her and make sure he wasn’t sleeping in his tower tonight. He rather enjoyed sharing her bed and he was sure he could use his assets to his advantage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> damn, this one is ALSO super short.


	5. Silly Pranks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gagu-kun asked: 25 Cullen and Erica ^^  
> (“I can’t believe you talked me into this.”)

Erica peeked into Solas’ rotunda. The bald elf was nowhere to be seen and she ushered Cullen quickly inside.

“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Cullen said in a whisper. Erica laughed softly.

“It’ll be fun,” she insisted.

“If we get caught, we’ll be the laughing stock of the Inquisition.” Cullen groused as he moved over to the desk in the middle of the room. “Why didn’t you just get Sera to do this?” Erica pulled the chair out and moved to the opposite side of the desk.

“Who do you think suggested the idea?” She said coyly and she took one end of the desk. Cullen made a squeaky noise and Erica stifled another laugh. “Besides, you’re they only one I’d trust with a mission this important.”

Cullen wasn’t buying it and told her so with the eyebrow he raised as they rotated the desk 180 degrees.

“More like I’m the only pair of strong hands you could con into doing this,” he grumbled as she kissed his cheek. She moved to the sofa against the wall and motioned for him to help her move it too. Once they had either rotated all of the furniture, or moved it across the room they beat a hasty retreat into the night and across the bridge to Cullen’s office.

Giggling, Erica closed the door behind them and leaned on it.

“Happy?” Cullen asked, trying and failing to keep a sour look on his face. She threw her arms around his neck languidly.

“Very,” she kissed him and his arms went around her waist. They stayed like that for a minute or two until Cullen pulled away just enough to glance at his loft.

“You know,” he started. “The night is still young.”

Erica didn’t bother muffling her laughter this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is silly


	6. On the Battlements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawke arrives in Skyhold, she and the Inquisitor have a nice chat.

Hawke strode out onto the battlements where Varric had led her when she arrived. It was a quiet little corner of Skyhold, before her stretched the entire citadel. Soldiers and carpenters and stone masons mulled about in a cheerful flurry of productiveness. Hawke was tired just looking at it.

Also in front of her, down a short flight of steps, stood Varric and a tall redheaded woman Hawke suspected was the new Inquisitor. They turned at her approach. Varric introduced her as the Champion of Kirkwall.

"Though I don’t go by that title much anymore," Hawke quipped, descending the rest of the stairs to stand next to the Inquisitor.

She was... not what Hawke had been expecting. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting exactly, but this freckled, pouty-lipped, noblewoman was not it. Erica Trevelyan. She looked... plain, almost. For someone who had stepped out of the fade and had a mountain dropped on her, she looked... ordinary.

Varric, having taken care of the introductions, backed off to give the ladies some privacy. Hawke leaned her arms on the wall looking out over the roof of the tavern and onwards to the grand hall doors.

"I can't imagine I'll be much help," Hawke started.

"You saved a city from an army of angry Qunari," the Inquisitor offered. "And if I remember correctly, much of the city was on fire at the time." Hawke had to smile at that.

"Varric's book exaggerates," Hawke said. "Only the docks were really on fire for any length of time."

"Varric's book was maybe more colorful than I remember," Erica laughed. "But I definitely remember the fire."

Hawke looked at her then, one eyebrow raised.

"You were in Kirkwall for the Qunari invasion?" She asked, maybe a little incredulously. The Inquisitor nodded.

"To be fair, I wasn't there for very long." She folded her arms at looked at Skyhold without really seeing it, lost in memory.

"What happened?" Hawke asked, Erica looked back at her with a rueful smile.

"Nothing quite as interesting as what happened to you I'm sure," she shook her head. "There was a Qunari contingency trying to gain control of the docks. They did that by trying to kill a lot of people." She pursed her lips in distaste. "One of those people was the captain of a ship. I helped her fend them off and she offered me a ride out of town."

"Just like that?" Hawke asked. She couldn't blame Erica for wanting to escape Kirkwall instead of staying to fight. Qunari are big, scary motherfuckers. Hawke would have escaped too if she had a lick of sense.

"Well, I sort of saved her life too." Erica shrugged and Hawke laughed.

"Funny how that'll buy passage just about anywhere."

"I actually stayed with them for a while. It was an all-female crew sort of ship," Erica said.

Hawke look Erica over with newfound interest. There were no scars or visible tattoos on her. Nothing to suggest she had done anything more than the normal noble in Ostwick.

Erica laughed at Hawke's expression.

"Yeah, I get that look a lot." She smiled amiably. "I had to work for my skills until this thing." She waved the mark which buzzed quietly. Frankly the thing unnerved Hawke. "I guess you know all about that."

Hawke laughed a short and bitter laugh.

"Yeah," she said. "I guess I do."

The two women regarded each other with eyes older than the rest of themselves, thinking about days gone by.

They talked a while longer on the ramparts before Erica said she had other things she had to do.

"I hope to see you around, before we leave for Crestwood."

"You never know," Hawke replied. "I'm very sneaky."

Erica grinned and rolled her eyes before she took her leave.

Varric sauntered over to lean on the battlements beside Hawke. She glanced over at her old friend.

"So," Varric said.

"You sure have a knack for following strange women around." Hawke teased.

"Maybe strange women have a knack for following me." Varric laughed.

"It’s the chest hair." Hawke poked at the opening in Varric's shirt that was way less than decent.

Varric protested the invasion of his personal space and the two headed for the tavern for a quiet drink. There might not be the opportunity later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there really isnt any reason for this to exist. Erica has a rich and colored past where she bounces all over Thedas (except the Anderfels because its really far outta her way) i wanted to explore how Hawke and Erica would react to being in Kirkwall at the same time. Actually, i want to explore Erica's entire history because its long and interesting.
> 
> EDIT: when i split up my drabbles into characters, i debated whether or not to put this in Wil's section, since its in her POV. but its really about Erica so i put it here.


	7. Red Templar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erica and her companions take Sulidin Keep or whatever.

"I... Chose..." The red templar wheezed on his final breath. With that, he slumped down into his armor.

Erica looked down at the body in the snow. It had not been an easy death. It must have hurt the whole way down, but he was free of it now. Free of Imshal, free of the red lyrium, and free of Corypheus.

"I wonder what Imshal wanted him to do," Varric mused aloud.

"Whatever it was," Cassandra said. "It was worse than slow death by red lyrium."

Without warning Erica sat, heavily, right next to the body. It couldn't have been safe, red lyrium being as toxic as it was. She ignored the glowing red crystals. She ignored the cold seeping into her clothes from the cold stone of the keep. She ignored the concerned sounds her companions were making.

In her hand, she held a broken philter. It had two initials carved on the bottom. R.D. She wondered who this man had been before Corypheus had come. Before his slow death by red lyrium. Hot tears began sliding down Erica's face. She thought about the philter at the bottom of Cullen's desk drawer. She thought about the bad days, when the headaches were so bad she wasn't even sure he saw her. She remembered the nightmares.

Dorian was saying something but Erica was too lost in her grief to hear him. This man had given himself to a slow death. Every red templar Coreypheus had was destined for the same fate or worse. But this one had seen a way out and hadn't taken it. The amount of courage that must have taken...

Erica stood up and without expression, hurled the broken philter at the wall. It shattered, showering glass on the pristine snow. The cold wind dried the tears in her eyes. She didn't make a dramatic vow to save every red templar, many of them were monsters.

There was no realization that changed how she viewed the world. But Erica added the initials R.D. to the list of reasons to punch Corypheus in the dick when she saw him. Samson too, if she could manage it. That would have to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apparently im only capable of writing when i have better things to do. like finish writing what ive already started, or sleep. anyway, i wrote this on my phone a while ago and just remembered its existence. its largely unedited and SHORT. its very short isnt it? it looks better on my phone.


	8. Everyone Falls Sometimes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erica falls down a hole

Erica hit the ground with a crunch and a gasp. She could only pray the crunch was not her ribs as she rolled over and looked up the cliff face. She could see her worried companions' faces through the trees above her.

"Inquisitor!" Cassandra called down to her.

All Erica managed in response was a loud groan. She heard Varric laugh, nervously.

"Well, she's alive," he said.

"What do you see?" Dorian yelled.

"Trees," she called back, getting to her feet. "Veilfire... Improbably large corpses..."

"Stay there," Cassandra ordered. "We'll find a safer way down."

As if on cue, Erica heard a growl from behind her. She pivoted very slowly to face whatever it was. It turned out to be a large, oddly colored gurut. And it looked hungry.

"Cassandra," Erica called up to her friends, backing away from the beast. "Hurry!"

The gurut lunged at her with a blood curdling howl, and Erica spun to avoid its teeth. It sailed past her but caught her with its tail. She went spiraling into the cliff wall. Using the wall as leverage, she hurtled backwards over the monster and drew her blades. She managed four precise cuts into its massive neck before it smashed its head into her, launching her into the opposite wall. Erica saw stars, but staggered to her feet.

Just as the creature made to leap at her, Cassandra was a great wall in front of it. Erica felt Dorian's magic engulf her in healing energy and she looked up to see Dorian, still roughly where he had been when she had fallen. Varric was firing his crossbow next to the mage. There was still the gurut and, with newfound strength in her friends, Erica joined Cassandra.

When the beast lay under Cassandra's boot, Erica had time to wonder at the timing of the encounter. If Dorian and Varric were still at the top of the cliff, how had Cassandra gotten down so quickly?

"That was exciting," Erica commented. Cassandra made a noncommittal grunt. Varric slid to a stop next to her, hollering.

"That shit is going in the book," he exclaimed, grinning.

"Me getting my ass handed to be by the scenery?" Erica grimaced.

"Well, maybe not that," Varric said. "But the Seeker sliding down a mountain to plow into a dragon? Totally."

Erica whipped her head around to face Cassandra, who looked sheepish.

"How much is he exaggerating?" Erica asked. She wanted to know how impressed and in awe she should be. Not that she wasn't usually.

"It's hardly a dragon," was all the protest Cassandra managed. She was blushing and glaring at the ground.

Erica was not a solo fighter. Her strength was in using her teammates as distractions. One on one fights with creatures were not her strong suit. She might not have died from this encounter, but she could have been seriously injured.

"Holy shit, Cassandra," Erica breathed.

"My thoughts exactly," Dorian huffed, tripping to a stop by the Inquisitor.

"Its not that big of a deal," Cassandra sniffed, embarrassed.

"I beg to differ," Varric snorted and Cassandra glared at him.

"Thank you, Cassandra," Erica said, earnestly grasping the Seeker's shoulder. "I owe you."

Cassandra grasped Erica's forearm, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"You owe me nothing," she said. "You would have done the same for me."

"With nowhere near as much flare, I'm sure," Erica grinned impishly. Cassandra rolled her eyes, but smiled as she let go.

"I wouldn't do the same for either of you," Dorian said. "You crazy women, throwing yourselves off cliffs... I'm telling Cullen."

The blood drained from Erica's face.

"You wouldn't," she stammered. Dorian's smile was wicked.

"I take my bribery in candied dates," he said, patting Erica on the cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is based on a real thing that happened to me in the game. only it was because i got too close to the edge and fell like an asshole...


	9. A Well-Deserved Punch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is based on an in-game event. to quote my editor: "This small thing is the gr8est self-indulgent fic I've ever seen" (its short)

It was a beautiful day in the emerald graves. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the halla were making that weird noise they do. All in all, Erica Trevelyan decided it was a good day. She was out to slay giants and pick elfroot... And she wasn't out of elfroot yet.

While she was picking a robust specimen, she heard her companions talking behind her. Cassandra was making uncomfortable noises.

"Varric," Cassandra started. "I'm sorry. About earlier. With the table."

"Beg your pardon? I didn't catch that Seeker." Erica wasn’t looking back at them, but she could practically _hear_ the mock-shocked look on his face as he answered.

"I am sorry," Cassandra pressed on. Erica was touched by her humility. Cassandra had told her once that she didn’t understand people who believed that changing their opinion made them weak. Erica could admire a person who was willing to admit they were wrong, and she was impressed that she had gotten the courage up to apologize for it; something Erica herself had never quite managed. And then Varric opened his big mouth…

"Oh! I'll mark this on my calendar—Cassandra had a feeling!" Varric exclaimed venomously.

"Hey, Varric?" Erica turned around. Varric made an acknowledging noise and turned lazily to face the Inquisitor, smug smirk still on his face.

The punch came from her right hand, but Varric could have been sent into the fade by the sheer force behind it. Dorian made a sympathetic 'oomph' sound as Varric fell on his ass. Cassandra's mouth fell open, as if she were the one who had just got sucker-punched.

"Don't be such a dick," she said in the defending silence that followed. Varric, for once, did not have a smart comment to make.

Erica turned on her heel, and marched away, Cassandra in hot pursuit.

"I do not need you to fight my battles for me," she whispered, so the others wouldn't hear. Erica didn't bother.

"You already tried hitting him," she said, loudly enough for the others to hear. "You're trying to get past that. Unlike _others_ I could name..." Erica trailed off meaningfully.

Varric was getting to his feet-- with the aid of Dorian-- and either didn't hear her, or decided he had enough of his pride wounded for one day.

Whatever the case, the rest of the day was spent in relative silence. Even the birds and the halla were quiet, as if sensing the tension of the small group.

Later, in camp, Cassandra wordlessly offered Varric a wet cloth to hold to his face; there was an undeniable swelling to the left side of his face. After a second’s hesitation, he took the proffered cloth.

Erica's smugness could be felt throughout camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive been thinking about this one for a while now, i wrote this in the dead of night. i hope you liked it.

**Author's Note:**

> personal favorite of mine


End file.
